Pentagon to evaluate US strikes on alleged drug boats

The Pentagon’s internal watchdog said it is reviewing operations carried out by US Southern Command, including strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.

The review follows mounting scrutiny of the campaign, which has targeted nearly 60 boats and resulted in more than 190 deaths since last fall.

Legal scholars, lawmakers, and some Pentagon military attorneys have raised concerns about the operations, according to media reports.

According to a May 11 letter from the Pentagon inspector general’s office, the evaluation will examine whether US Southern Command adhered to approved targeting procedures during the missions.

A spokesperson for the inspector general told CNN that the review covers “the joint process for targeted vessels in the US Southern Command area of responsibility as part of Operation Southern Spear,” the Pentagon’s anti-drug trafficking initiative.

The office also said the project was “self-initiated” based on its “ongoing assessment” of Pentagon operations.

Since the start of Operation Southern Spear in September, US President Donald Trump’s administration has defended the strikes by arguing that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and has classified those killed as enemy combatants.

The full extent of what the inspector general’s review will examine remains unclear.